A
University of Minnesota study definitively shows that those with
decreased LDL cholesterol levels can count on an increased life
expectancy.

The
research is published in the Annals of Surgery.

The
findings stem from the Program on Surgical Control of the
Hyperlipidemias (POSCH) randomized controlled trial which kicked off at
the University of Minnesota in 1975. Researchers evaluated 838 heart
attack survivors between the ages of 38-60. Of the 838, 417 patients
were assigned to treatment with diet instruction only, and 421 to diet
instruction plus a partial ileal bypass surgery, or bypass of the
distal small intestine where cholesterol is absorbed.

Twenty
five years later, University of Minnesota Medical School researchers
found the group who had surgery increased life expectancy by about one
year.

"This
study contributes to a long path of findings from the POSCH trial, that
is, high levels of LDL cholesterol are detrimental to your health,"
said Henry Buchwald, M.D., Ph.D., bariatric surgeon at the University
of Minnesota Medical School, and principal investigator of the study.

Through
the years, and through a number of high-profile published journal
studies, the POSCH study has repeatedly shown that reducing high LDL
cholesterol means fewer heart attacks, fewerdeaths, less incidence of
peripheral artery disease, and less heart disease.

"The
POSCH trial was the first randomized controlled trial to show the
life-sustaining benefits of cholesterol lowering and it is the only
trial with 25 years of follow-up," Buchwald said.

Because
of the advent of statins, the surgery is now relegated to a small
minority of patients who have adverse effects to drugs.

The
study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the University
of Minnesota, the State of Minnesota, and private gifts.